At South High in Worcester, Lunenburg athletic director offers an apology

Saturday

Nov 23, 2013 at 6:00 AMNov 24, 2013 at 1:12 PM

By Paula J. Owen TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

WORCESTER — After offering an apology to South High Community School football players Friday morning for racial slurs directed against them by Lunenburg High School players during two games earlier this month, Lunenburg Athletic Director Peter F. McCauliff said Friday afternoon that school officials are still unsure which players did it.

"We won't be satisfied until we've finished the investigation," he said in a telephone interview. "We're working on things and reached an end to what we can gather and we're hoping with a little more time, we'll gain more information and will apply the appropriate punishment."

The Lunenburg team is also the focus of an investigation of racial graffiti discovered Nov. 15, spray-painted on the house of 13-year-old Lunenburg football player Isaac A. Phillips, who alleges wrongdoing by teammates.

Mr. McCauliff said officials believe there were up to three football players involved in the first incident during the junior varsity game hosted in Lunenburg on Nov. 1 and only one in the varsity game held in Worcester Nov. 4.

That game was ended abruptly toward the end of the fourth quarter when a fight broke out and Lunenburg students were directed to their bus.

The students who used the racial slurs have not been identified, he said.

"After the other horrific incident (racist graffiti), it is making kids even tighter-lipped than they normally would be," Mr. McCauliff said.

"There is a sense of camaraderie and we're hoping we can break down that code of silence and work forward."

He said it was also difficult with around 50 players to know who was on the field and where they were at the time of the incidents. Lunenburg football players say they heard racial slurs used, but can't say which Lunenburg players said it, he said.

"We got a lot of that," he said. "They either don't know or won't say. We know it happened and acknowledge it happened, but can't at this point, say who did it — not with a good deal of certainty. When we determine who said it, we'll work through an appropriate punishment. If we point blame to kids who are not guilty, we'll have a bigger problem than there normally would be."

Robert F. Pezzella, school safety liaison for Worcester Public Schools, said during a meeting he attended Wednesday with both schools' athletic directors and high school principals present, Lunenburg officials asked their Worcester counterparts what would give them closure on the issue.

Worcester recommended an apology from Lunenburg at that meeting, Mr. Pezzella said, and Lunenburg agreed. Mr. McCauliff offered to put it in writing, he said.

In Mr. McCauliff's apology, given around 9 a.m. Friday to South High players in the school's auditorium with South coaches and the athletic director present, he said he was saddened they were, at both games, subjected to unacceptable behavior while participating in an activity they loved.

No coaches or students from Lunenburg attended.

"These two awful events, along with another that occurred in my hometown, have forced my community to recognize that we have a problem that we need to deal with right now," Mr. McCauliff said in a written apology.

"I know that the vast majority of players on my football team and students in my school were not involved in these three cowardly acts and they too are outraged and hurt.

" … It is our hope that by building a partnership with South High School we can overcome our fears and prejudices and prevent something like this from happening in the future.

" … Today, I want you to know that my school is embarrassed and sorry for our behavior towards you and the lack of respect for you that we demonstrated. I will make no excuses for these actions nor will I try to minimize the impact they had on you. I will promise you that we are actively working to improve our school culture. Students in my school are recognizing the challenge they have before them and are willing to tackle it.

" … My hope is that the next time we meet you in a game we conduct ourselves in a way that shows you the respect you deserve."

Mr. Pezzella said Mr. McCauliff's apology was "sincere and heartfelt" and he shook all the players' and coaches' hands afterward — something that did not happen between players at the end of the junior varsity game.

Worcester will play Lunenburg next football season, Mr. Pezzella said. Additionally, Mr. McCauliff agreed to return in the spring to attend Worcester Public Schools' student wellness seminar on diversity and tolerance to model that program in Lunenburg schools.

The two schools will also further develop their relationship off the field, Mr. Pezzella and Mr. McCauliff said, by working together on student leadership projects that embrace diversity and tolerance.